Flavors by Alessandra

0 Preheat the oven to 400 F. Add the sliced onion and garlic, cut side down, to a sheet tray. Drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper, and toss to coat. Place in the oven until the onions and garlic are soft and starting to brown, about 20 minutes.
1 Char your red peppers over an open flame or broil until the skin is entirely burned. Immediately transfer to a heatproof bowl and cover it with plastic wrap tightly. Allow to steam for 10-15 minutes.
2 Combine the basil and oil in a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a small pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer for 1-2 minutes, then turn the heat off. Pour into a strainer lined with a coffee filter and allow to drip out. Store in the fridge for up to a month.
3 In a large skillet, add a touch of olive oil, then crumble in the sausage. Cook over medium heat, breaking up pieces with a wooden spoon until cooked through and crispy, for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Keep the rendered oil in the pan.
4 Once the peppers have slightly cooled, peel them (with the help of water…keep a bowl to dip your hands to clean as you go), then deseed the peppers and cut them into strips.
5 Add the roasted peppers, onions, garlic, and heavy cream to a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
6 Cook your pasta of choice until 1 minute under al dente, then transfer to the pan with the rendered sausage oil. Toss the pasta. Add in the pepper puree, a touch of pasta water and stir well to emulsify. Add in ¾ of the sausage and toss well.
7 Plate the pasta and garnish with more crumbled sausage, black pepper, freshly grated pecorino, and basil oil.